Special Assistant
Directors Office
Lt. Col. Andrew Small, U.S. Space Force, joined DARPA in 2025 as special assistant to the director/Space Force operational liaison. He previously served on the U.S. Space Force headquarters staff developing operational requirements for space-based sensing and targeting capabilities.
He developed Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) products for the Operational Requirements Division in support of Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) validation for U.S. Space Force capability documents.
In his role as special assistant, he advises the director on military technology matters as they relate to mission of DARPA. In his role as the Space Force operational liaison, he supports the agency in Space Force matters including mentorship of agency technology experts, transition of technology to the Space Force, and shaping future programs toward Space Force missions.
He is a space acquisition professional, with experience in engineering, war gaming, and program management for space control, space situational awareness, and space-based sensing and targeting capabilities.
Previous assignments include chief of the Warfighter Modeling Division at the Space Security and Defense Program, an intelligence community analyst at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, and the chief of special programs for the Technology Maturation and Transition Branch of the Space Superiority Systems Directorate at the Space and Missiles Systems Center.
Military Training
- Air Command and Staff College (correspondence), Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
Education
- M.S., Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy
Areas of expertise
- Counterspace, remote sensing, ISR, over-the-horizon targeting
- Requirements
- Intelligence community
- Wargaming, modeling and simulation